MARCEL ON THE TRAIN
Co-written by ETHAN SLATER & MARSHALL PAILET
Directed by MARSHALL PAILET
Starring ETHAN SLATER as Marcel Marceau
History remembers Marcel Marceau as the world’s greatest mime. But before the spotlight, he was a young man in Nazi-occupied France, guiding Jewish children to safety with nothing but courage and imagination. In the shadows of World War II, Marcel on the Train reveals the man behind the invisible mask. Co-written by and starring Tony Award® nominee Ethan Slater (SpongeBob SquarePants, Wicked), this inventive new play shows us how, sometimes, the loudest resistance begins in the most quiet places.
Presented by special arrangement with Mix and Match Productions (Maxwell Beer and Mitch Marois).
THE ARTISTS
ETHAN SLATER (Co-author & “Marcel”) is a writer and actor best known for playing Spongebob in Broadway’s SpongeBob Squarepants (for which he received a Tony Nomination and won the Drama Desk award), and for playing Boq in movies Wicked and Wicked: For Good (coming November 2025). He was most recently onstage in Spamalot on Broadway, and most recently at CSC playing The Balladeer/Lee Harvey Oswald in Assassins. His musical, Edge of the World (written with Nick Blaemire) also had a sold out one-night only concert at CSC, making Classic Stage feel very much like an artistic home. Similar to Marcel Marceau, Ethan’s work on film and on stage has been greatly inspired by two things: physical comedians, and being Jewish. So when Marshall called to tell him of the birth of his first child, Ethan couldn’t wait to interrupt and add to that joy with the idea for this play. Selected other Film/TV/Theater: Lost on a Mountain In Maine (dir. Andrew Kightlinger), The Designer (upcoming, dir. Em Johnson), “Elsbeth” (CBS), “Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” (Amazon), “Fosse/Verdon” (FX), Who’s Your Badghdaddy (off-broadway dir. Marshall Pailet), PEMDAS (OYL Theater Company, dir. Ianthe Demos). Graduate Vassar College.
MARSHALL PAILET (Co-author & Director) started out making theater in his parents’ basement, and after walking a winding path past being a child performer on Broadway, classically trained ballet dancer, music theory and philosophy major, he now makes theater for a living. Most recently he wrote book, music, lyrics and directed the musical Private Jones about a Deaf Welsh sniper in WW1, which received the Helen Hayes for Best New Musical from its recent production at the Signature Theatre (VA), and the Connecticut Critics Circle Best Director Award from its production at Goodspeed Musicals. He’s the co-writer/director of two Off-Broadway musicals that garnered two New York Times Critics’ Picks, Who’s Your Baghdaddy and Triassic Parq, and has written/directed for DreamWorks, RKO, PBS, and franchises such as “VeggieTales,” Shrek, “Magic School Bus,” and Hershey’s Chocolate World (Brass Ring Winner, baby!). Upcoming writing/directing work includes Private Jones and Loch Ness, and upcoming directing includes Nikola Tesla, Snow Goose, and Fountain. Ethan pitched the idea for Marcel on the Train the morning Marshall’s first child was born. It was a very short and tired conversation ending with Ethan saying “maybe this isn’t the best time.” But the next day Marshall was like… huh that was actually a good idea, I look forward to writing about this play’s genesis someday using the third person. Graduate Yale University. marshallpailet.com